Well, after another full day of travel, I am finally back in Ephrata…. oh the small tiny town of Ephrata. It is kind of weird having two Valentines day in one year. One with Hsiu Hsiu and one without…. I like the one with Hsiu Hsiu alot better. Anyway… after such a long trip, ok one week is really not that long, it is time to reflect on my trip to Shanghai and comment on what I saw.

1) Shanghai is still a developing city.

No matter what anyone else is telling you, Shanghai is still developing. There are still a long ways to go. Out in the rural area’s of Shanghai, it is still very poor and very under developed. Even the beautiful European houses are only beautiful shells, the wiring inside and the climate control still do not match that of most homes in the US … ok most southern homes in the US. Yeah… even up here in Ephrata, lots of homes don’t have central air and heat.

2) Everything is packaging in China

In China, almost everything is packaging … by this I mean, everything looks wonderful on the outside, but in reality … there is not much substance inside. For example, alot of the food in Shanghai smells wonderful and even looks wonderful. however, they do not taste as good as they look and smell. Strange ,but true. Also the houses in Shanghai are the same way… as mentioned above.

3) Shortest distance between point A and point B is a straight line

In Shanghai and most of China, traffic law are merely a guideline. Most people knows the rules but don’t follow them. And everyone want to get to their destination in the shortest path. This includes cars, buses, bicycles, and even pedistrians. Because of this, a strage understanding exists between all parties on the road. Everyone complains, but they still are able to get around without having any accidents. All in all, driving in Shanghai is pretty chaotic.

4) Value of money is different

I guess that is true in all countries around the world. Well, things in China just don’t cost as much, especially food. But of course mose people in China makes a fraction of what we make in the US. I still have trouble how all that works out for the average joe living in China. That is a tough life.

5) People is cheap

Of course, everyone knows that people are every where in China. But what is amazing was in a walmart like store there is a person responsible for every aile in the store. They can only do that because labor is cheap. That will never happen in the US. Also less than 100 dollars US a month, one can hire a maid to clean your house and watch all the clothe for one month easy.Once again… labor is cheap.

6) Simplified Chinese just sucks!

The person that decide simplified chinese is a good thing should get shot. Simplified Chinese removed all logic in the chinese written language. No longer can one piece together a meaning of a word by its parts. In simplified chinese you either know it or you don’t . And even if you know it, you would need to know if that word is used properly in the simplied chinese context.

7) GPS system would be nice in China

There are so many small roads in China and not all the maps are accurate. A well developed GPS guidance system would rock in China. I think some are available in Shanghai city and Beijing City, however nothing is availble for the rural areas of China.

8) Chinese Radio SUCKS!!!

First of all, most of the songs that are played in Shanghai and in China are older songs. Ranging from couple of month old to couple of years old. But the most annoying thing in Shanghai and China radio is they stop the song 2/3rd of the way through. Just when you are all in to the grove of the song they cut it off. Stupid Shanghai radio.

9) Short on Power….

Well… I actually experienced my first blown fuse in Shanghai because of to many electronics connected on one circuit in the house. The house is maybe at most 4 years old, however, the wiring systems looks like it is from the 1940’s. No breakers and all fuses and the circuits are not designed to take the load of all the modern electronics. Scary huh?

10) Money for everything

In Shanghai… almost every where you go you will need to have cash. Most are not very expensive to enter, but once you are inside that area, every little thing requires cash. And they all eventually add up. It is captialism at its finest. But wait … we are in a communist country?

That is all that I can think of right now. I am sure I will think of more.

But please don’t get me wrong… I still had a lot of fun in China and in Shanghai. The Bund and the metro area of Shanghai is a beautiful place, especially at night. I hope I will have a chance in the next couple of days to share some of the pictures I took.